Hello Everyone,

I hope all moms had a wonderful Mother's Day and that you felt very appreciated.

Bookshop Santa Cruz Young Writers' Presentations: congratulations to Jona and Sage who will present their essays this Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

Mountain Parent Survey: Mt. Parent Survey Live Link

Drivers Needed: last field trip of the year to UCSC Arboretum. Please let us know if you are able to join us and help with transportation by emailing me with the number of students you can chaperone and accommodate. Thank you in advance :)

Snacks Needed for testing week: Volunteer Snacks for Testing Week

CAASPP TESTING: It's that time of year. Our testing window begins May 22. It is very important that your child is in school in these coming weeks. We are busy bees in the classroom and review as well as test taking practice and strategies are being modeled and taught. Please be sure your child is present, well fed and rested. This will help ensure success and keep stress at a minimum for your child. We will have a healthy snack sign up sheet for the week of the 22nd. Thank you to those who have signed up already :)

A Few More Snacks Needed: Please let us know what you would like to bring (in the a.m.). Suggestions: trail mix, peanut butter and celery/carrots/apples, protein bars, granola bars, cheese and crackers, fruit, bagels and cream cheese, milk, juice, etc. Volunteer Snacks for Testing Week

Fundraiser June 3 from 12-5 for Seth Danger Wilson-Frey. For those who don't know, Trinity's cousin was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, Medulloblastoma, on March 24th. The family is reaching out to ask for help and donations during this difficult time. For more information about the fundraiser, to donate, and/or bring a meal please click this link. Seth Danger Wilson-Frey

**Important Announcements:

Upcoming Dates:
Book Shop Santa Cruz Young Writer's Presentations: Tuesday May 16 @ 6
CAASPP TESTING: Week of May 22
Open House: Wednesday May 24 from 7-8
Memorial Day: Monday May 29 NO SCHOOL
UCSC Arboretum Field Trip: Thursday June 1
Report Cards: Monday June 5
Talent Show: Tuesday June 6 at 9
6th Grade Graduation: Wednesday June 7 at 5
Last Day of School: 12:35 Thursday June 8

AR Reading goals: 14.5 for this trimester

Sick Days and Absences: When your student misses a day or more of school it is highly recommended that you come in and pick up the homework and missed classwork for the day/week. In a week, we have 7.5 hours of instruction in math alone.

Warmly,

Mrs. Young

Happy May and Hello,

Wow! What a lovely and enjoyable night at the Mountain School auction fundraiser this past weekend! A special thank you to all our parents and volunteers who attend and contribute to make such an event possible. We appreciate all of your hard work and dedication.

Drivers Needed: last field trip of the year to UCSC Arboretum. Please let us know if you are able to join us and help with transportation by emailing me with the number of students you can chaperone and accommodate. Thank you in advance :)

CAASPP TESTING: It's that time of year. Our testing window begins May 22. It is very important that your child is in school in these coming weeks. We are busy bees in the classroom and review as well as test taking practice and strategies are being modeled and taught. Please be sure your child is present, well fed and rested. This will help ensure success and keep stress at a minimum for your child. We will have a healthy snack sign up sheet for the week of the 22nd. Please let us know what you would like to bring (in the a.m.). Suggestions: trail mix, peanut butter and celery/carrots/apples, protein bars, granola bars, cheese and crackers, fruit, bagels and cream cheese, milk, juice, etc. Volunteer Snacks for Testing Week

**Important Announcements:

Upcoming Dates:
Spring Concert: Thursday May 11 @ 5:30
Book Shop Santa Cruz Young Writer's Presentations for 4 students: Tuesday May 16 @ 6
CAASPP TESTING: Week of May 22
Open House: Wednesday May 24 from 7-8
Memorial Day: Monday May 29 NO SCHOOL
UCSC Arboretum Field Trip: Thursday June 1

Typing Club

typingclub.com

We will be typing in class each week.  Please let me know if computer access is a problem.

Curriculum Updates:

ELA: we are reading/analyzing our literature book: The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle in class only. This book should not travel back and forth to school and home; rather, the AR book is for that purpose.  In addition, we continue to honor our VIP each week and listen and respond to presentations by students and practice writing friendly letters. We also have introduced Lucy Calkin's reading lessons as part of our aligned writing program here at Mountain School.

Read Aloud Books: Kit Carson, Walk Two Moons, Lovina's Song, The Tiger Rising, By the Great Horn Spoon, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King, Jr., Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks, Abraham Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt,....

SC Symphony: daily musical compositions are introduced and enjoyed every morning in preparation for our SC Symphony experience on January 26th and beyond.

Mindfulness: best practices in mindfulness are being incorporated in our classroom this year.

Harmony: best practices school-wide curriculum for building a strong social-emotional community within our classrooms.

AR Reading: Accelerated Reader continues to be an important part of our reading program. Students are reading appropriate AR books found through the AR book find link and then quizzing on them within 24 hours of finishing their book.  It is critical to support your child in book selection (most books are in our school and classroom libraries) and to remind them to read, read, read whenever the opportunity arises--in the car, while waiting for an appt., to and from school, before bed time, on a Sunday in your jammies, etc.  These books should travel to and from the classroom in a daily fashion for classroom DEAR (drop everything and read) sessions as well as nightly reading homework and beyond. Students have a goal of 14 points for the second trimester.  Each book has a certain amount of points it is worth.  This information is listed with reading level and appropriateness (grade school, middle school, high school, for example).  Points per book range from 3 to 5, generally, with longer books being worth more points.  On an average this is going to mean your child is reading anywhere from 3-5 books a Trimester. That said, help your child select books that are on their reading level (their latest DRA2 level), and have high interest for them.  This will allow them to accomplish reading books from start to finish successfully.

    

Math: geometry, area perimeter, volume, graphs, plots and caaspp test prep. Please check your child's planner for specific page numbers.

Science: environments: terrariums, aquariums, brine shrimp.

Social Studies: Boston Massacre, Constitution, Bill of Rights, Revolutionary War.

Writing and Grammar: Persuasive writing, poetry unit.

Santa Cruz Young Writer's: all social justice and fairness essays are complete. Thank you to all writers, WPA's, and parents for making this a successful endeavor. On May 16th, 4 writers will present at the Santa Cruz bookshop from the 4th and 5/6 classes.

Sick Days and Absences: When your student misses a day or more of school it is highly recommended that you come in and pick up the homework and missed classwork for the day/week. In a week, we have 7.5 hours of instruction in math alone.

Warmly,

Mrs. Young